DIRECTORS

Darlene Johnson’s career as writer/director started with Two Bob Mermaid, a story inspired by her Aboriginal mother’s experiences growing up under the assimilation policies of the 1950s. It won Best Australian Short film at the Australian Film Critics Circle of Australia. Darlene went onto write and direct Stolen Generations, which was nominated for an international EMMY Award; Stranger in my Skin; Following the Rabbit-Proof Fence a documentary on Phillip Noyce’s Rabbit Proof Fence; Gulpilil - One Red Blood and Crocodile Dreaming featuring the first-time pairing of legendary Aboriginal actors David Gulpilil and Tom E Lewis. Next there was Johnson’s poetic and moving portrait, River of No Return, about the complexities of living in a remote Indigenous community. Darlene has also produced documentaries for the Message Stick series for ABC TV. She also wrote, directed and produced the independent documentary, The Redfern Story which was broadcast on the ABC. Her short film Bluey premiered at the Sydney Film Festival in 2015, going on to acclaim, winning 13 awards at numerous Australian and international festivals, including Sydney, Montreal and Mexico. Darlene was the first recipient of the inaugural Shadow Directorship, an ADG and Screen Australia’s Gender Matters initiative, directing her first TV episode on the TV serial Home and Away. Darlene recently completed directing three episodes on a new serial “The Heights” for Matchbox Pictures.